Author: Sime Curkovic

Manufacturing Matters. The ISM MFG PMI Index has contracted for the 19th time in the last 20 months. Yes, that is a MFG recession, but does this predict and/or is a precursor to an overall recession? Maybe.

Manufacturing Matters. The ISM MFG PMI Index has contracted for the 19th time in the last 20 months. Yes, that is a MFG recession, but does this predict and/or is a precursor to an overall recession? Maybe. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manufacturing-pmi-at-48-5-june-2024-manufacturing-ism-report-on-business-302186137.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWFpgb9h658&t=646s During the 2006-2009 time period, the ISM MFG and employment indices were below 50 for several years, for nearly 40 consecutive months. Long before America started its overall economic great recession...

Great read (see our new apprenticeship program below): From article…“In some ways, it’s odd supply chain & procurement hadn’t come to the forefront sooner….Managing complex processes on paper or w/ spreadsheets is impossible…All told, the supply chain may comprise as much as 37% of all jobs – 44M jobs…64% of companies are experiencing a supply chain talent gap…Colleges aren’t providing any coursework or training on Salesforce, Workday, or SAP. And if they’re not doing that, they’re highly unlikely to introduce specialized procurement and supply chain platform curriculum.”

Great read (see our new apprenticeship program below): From article…“In some ways, it’s odd supply chain & procurement hadn’t come to the forefront sooner….Managing complex processes on paper or w/ spreadsheets is impossible…All told, the supply chain may comprise as much as 37% of all jobs – 44M jobs…64% of companies are experiencing a supply chain talent gap...Colleges aren’t providing any coursework or training on Salesforce, Workday, or SAP. And if they’re not...

2024 Gartner Top SCM Graduate School Rankings. Another rather random ranking, Top 10 SCM Schools (MIT is on this one): Yes, tough to argue with these lists, just pay attention to ROI.

2024 Gartner Top SCM Graduate School Rankings, pg. 4: https://lnkd.in/gMQAx4U9. Another rather random ranking, Top 10 SCM Schools (MIT is on this one): https://lnkd.in/ettmB534. Yes, tough to argue with these lists, just pay attention to ROI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGgeYsNb44&t=237s Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI...“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than...

FYI, designed for Students. “The Associate Professional in Supply Management (APSM) certification allows active ISM student members to take control of their career development.” Supply Chain Certifications To Advance Your Career…and many more at:

FYI, designed for Students. "The Associate Professional in Supply Management (APSM) certification allows active ISM student members to take control of their career development.” Supply Chain Certifications To Advance Your Career…and many more at: https://lnkd.in/g4r92hKd.Also: students interested in the Production & Operations Management Society. POMS has a $0 membership fee for students worldwide. In addition, all members will get joint membership w/ EurOMA. To join: https://lnkd.in/eJ_EisSz. Thank you, Marzieh Khakifirooz: https://lnkd.in/g2Wqy6ut.My...

I used to pack Contract Management into one class during the 1990s. Now, our supply chain students can take a customized legal & adv contract mgmt course. They take LAW 4860 so that they can learn the terms & conditions associated w/ buyer-supplier contracts. The instructors are actual lawyers & they customize the class for SCM students. Today, over 70% of current supplier contracts have price increase provisions. Here are some Practices that Can Make Your Commodity Related Supply Chain Job More Rewarding:

I used to pack Contract Management into one class during the 1990s. Now, our supply chain students can take a customized legal & adv contract mgmt course. Slide deck: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_most-supplier-contracts-have-price-increase-activity-7201909244676239360-oAiH?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop They take LAW 4860 so that they can learn the terms & conditions associated w/ buyer-supplier contracts. The instructors are actual lawyers & they customize the class for SCM students. Today, over 70% of current supplier contracts have price increase provisions. Here...

FYI: here is some of my old school teaching material. Yes, I have copies on overhead transparencies from the 90s. Warning, most of it is still VERY relevant today. Feel free to use as you wish…teaching material on the complex, yet essential topic of “Factors Influencing the Make/Buy Decision”.

FYI: here is some of my old school teaching material. Yes, I have copies on overhead transparencies from the 90s. Warning, most of it is still VERY relevant today. Feel free to use as you wish…teaching material on the complex, yet essential topic of "Factors Influencing the Make/Buy Decision". Slide deck: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_vertical-integration-are-we-coming-full-activity-7202275628228694016-4REe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop This often overlooked concept is a vital aspect of strategic management and business operations. This provides a comprehensive understanding of...

FYI: more of my old school teaching material. My overhead transparencies from the 90s are NOT available upon request (they are lost). Yes, most of this is still VERY relevant today. Even “AI” agrees. See last 3 pages for list of chat prompts that could facilitate research on supplier selection.

FYI: more of my old school teaching material. My overhead transparencies from the 90s are NOT available upon request (they are lost). Yes, most of this is still VERY relevant today. Even “AI” agrees. See last 3 pages for list of chat prompts that could facilitate research on supplier selection. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_old-school-material-1990s-but-still-relevant-activity-7202625555316305921-GR0a?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Feel free to use as you wish…teaching material on the complex, yet essential topic of "Supplier Selection". Why? Comprehensive research on...

Here is my slide deck on Negotiation from the 1990s. I used to pack this into one class. Now, every WMU Supply Chain major has to take an entire course on Global Negotiation. Why? Industry asked us to. It is our fastest growing class.

Here is my slide deck on Negotiation from the 1990s. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_students-go-into-buyer-roles-very-early-in-activity-7203005638883360768-zrRC?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop I used to pack this into one class. Now, every WMU Supply Chain major has to take an entire course on Global Negotiation. Why? Industry asked us to. It is our fastest growing class. Thank you Dr. James Eckert! See his 1 page cheat sheet at the end of the slide deck. Note: my students go into “buyer” roles VERY early on...

Prepping for Fall classes already…Should we be teaching Linear Programming to SCM students? Great read: Supply Chains Can’t Find Talent With The Right Skill Sets…Notice the reference to “optimization”…

Prepping for Fall classes already…Should we be teaching Linear Programming to SCM students? My slide deck: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_talent-shortage-in-analytics-optimization-activity-7203363673598218240-DeQx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Great read: Supply Chains Can’t Find Talent With The Right Skill Sets…https://lnkd.in/gMe5MPBP. Notice the reference to "optimization"…“When it came time to identify what the issues to hiring are, 64% said finding the right skill set as the top challenge, followed by 58% citing a talent shortage in data analytics, optimization, automation, etc.”The context...

Tough to argue with this list though, just pay attention to ROI. Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI…“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s.”

Tough to argue with this list though, just pay attention to ROI. Should You Give Up Your Salary and Go to Grad School? Well, that darn MBA degree still has a great ROI...“Over their lifetime, an MBA grad can expect to earn $3M more than someone w/ only a bachelor’s.” https://supplychaindigital.com/operations/top-10-supply-chain-schools Great ROI!?...At about 98% of universities that offer MBAs, grads typically made more money 2 years out of school than...